Nowadays, online maps have become a huge part of everyone’s lives and they are essential in understanding where one has to go. This is why it is crucial to have a map making plugin that is efficient, reliable and accurate for any website developer. This is where Better Google Maps comes in.
Better Google Maps is one of the best map generating plugins for Visual Composer simply because of the fact that it is so comprehensive and complete. It provides an amazing experience for any website developer. Created in 2014, Better Google Maps has unlimited options and features which make this plugin a high functioning one.
The Features
There are a variety of features that the Better Google Maps plugin includes and these features are instrumental in ensuring that your experience is as smooth as possible. The features include the following:
- Zoom (which allows you to set the map’s zoom in and out level yourself so that the map users can effectively close up to a specific location they want to look at);
- Auto zoom (which automatically sets the zoom to make all of the markers noticeable so users can easily see what is where);
- Width and height (which allows you to set the width and height of the map to your own liking);
- Map type (you can choose between different types of maps according to what you need, including road maps, hybrid, terrain, and satellite);
- Pixels (which enables you to set a fixed number of pixels or a relative percentage value- both of which will affect the clarity of your map);
- Show controls (the control options can be shown or hidden from the interface according to your preference);
- Keyboard zoom (you can also activate keyboard zoom to make it easier for your map users to zoom into the map);
- Map drag (allow your map users to drag through your map for better understanding of where they need to go);
- Scroll wheel (the mouse scroll wheel can either be activated or deactivated).
All of the aforementioned features ensure that you are given complete control of your map and that you can effectively create a map that will be easy for your users to view.
Marker Group Options
You can setup your map’s markers using the Marker Group options that are available. These markers can help make it much easier for your map users to locate where they are going and to understand the directions more thoroughly. First, take a look at the options you can use to add markers to a certain marker group:
- Coordinates (this is where you would have to provide the latitude and longitude of the location you would like to mark);
- Infowindow title (this allows you to name the marker);
- Infowindow content (this allows you to add content to the marker’s info window).
Next, take a look at the options you can set for the marker groups once you have made them:
- Group name (you can set the name of the marker group to your liking and multiple marker groups will be displayed using a name filter);
- Group marker (you can create a marker for the group);
- strokeColor, strokeWeight, and strokeOpacity (you can set the color, width, and opacity of the marker’s border);
- fillColor and fillOpacity (allow you to set the color and opacity of the marker itself).
Due to the fact that markers play a very significant role in making location finding easier, it is essential to have a variety of options available at the disposal of the map creator.
Price
The Better Google Maps plugin comes for a very affordable price. Only at a price of $13, you can get a number of brilliant features that can help make it easier for you to create a map for your website.
This $13 price tag includes a regular license with future updates and 6 months of support. The support can be extended to 6 more months with an additional $3.38. It’s quite the bargain at such a price.
Pros and Cons
Using the Better Google Maps plugin involves quite a few pros and cons which should be considered. The pros are as follows:
- The price is very affordable and market competitive;
- You are given complete control of the map through the various features of this plugin;
- It runs very smoothly and the end product is guaranteed to be high quality;
- It works with the WordPress Visual Composer to ensure high-performance quality.
However, there are two pitfalls of this plugin, including the following:
- It is quite limited in its functioning (not really the fault of the plugin because it is meant to be for maps alone);
- The plugin is still underrated and not many are aware of it (yet).
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that the Better Google Maps plugin lives up to its name and it has been doing so since its creation in 2014. This plugin can help even beginners create a comprehensive and easy to use map for their WordPress website. It is a very useful plugin to have in your kit and it will instantly make map generation easier by giving you all the control you would want from such a plugin.
The WordPress plugin is essentially a high-quality one that creates a brilliant end product and this proves that the Better Google Maps plugin is very useful. However, it is also underrated and not very well known (which is an injustice to its functional capabilities). This is why people need to start recognizing the fact that this plugin is giving them complete value for their money.
Through the support and the amazing list of features, anyone can make use of this plugin to generate a map that will put all others to shame. This plugin works in conjunction with the WordPress Visual Composer to create a mapping experience that both the creator and user will never forget.